In their final exhibition game against major league competition, the Yankees and Orioles played to a 6-6 draw, with five of the Orioles runs being unearned. The Yankees play their minor league future-stars on Saturday, then head to Boston for Sunday night’s opener.

Who Pitched Well: Andy Pettitte scattered six singles, a double, and a walk but kept the O’s off the board for 4 1/3 innings. Pettitte said he tired a bit at the end of the outing due to his lack of proper game action this spring. That will be something to watch in his regular season debut in Wednesday’s series finale in Boston. Minor leaguer Josh Schmidt followed Pettitte into the game and stranded two inherited runners, striking out Adam Jones then retiring Miguel Tejada to end the inning. Boone Logan worked around a single for a scoreless eighth. Amaury Sanit worked around a double and a hit batsman for a scoreless ninth.

Who Didn’t: Mariano Rivera gave up three runs on two singles, a walk, and a hit batsman in the sixth. Grant Duff gave up three runs on four singles in the seventh, blowing the lead. Just one of their six runs was earned, however.

Oopsies: Robinson Cano and minor leaguer Justin Snyder both made errors on catches leading to all of those unearned runs.

Ouchies: Nick Johnson fouled a ball of his right nee and was pulled from the game with what was ultimately diagnosed as a bone bruise. He’s day-to-day and expects to be in the lineup on Opening Day, though Joe Girardi is less sure. Damaso Marte‘s shoulder is cranky again, though he says it’s a different discomfort from what kept him out of most of last season and he expects to be ready after a couple of days’ rest. He suspects he actually hurt himself by overdoing the exercises designed to keep his shoulder healthy. Alfredo Aceves (back) threw a scoreless eight-pitch inning in a minor league game and believes he’ll be ready for Opening Day as well, though how his back recovers in the morning will be the deciding factor there. Mike Rivera‘s return to action after his hamstring strain suggests that the Yankees will indeed have their third-stringer available if Francisco Cervellican’t break camp with the team. Cervelli, meanwhile, caught in the bullpen and took batting practice and expects to be ready to go on Sunday. Jorge Posada, who woke up with a stiff neck on Thursday, might get into Saturday’s game. Right now it seems possible that the Yankees will open the season without any players on the disabled list, but they’ll have a handful of guys they’ll hope they can leave on the bench on Sunday to give them two more days off before Tuesday’s second game of the season.

Cuts: Zack Segovia, who inexplicably hung around for most of camp, was farmed out on Thursday. He’ll might actually end up in the Double-A bullpen due to a lack of room at Triple-A and the fact that there’s absolutely nothing compelling about him. Lefty Royce Ring was reassigned to minor league camp on Friday. He’ll linger in the Triple-A pen as a potential second lefty having impressed in camp. That leaves Marcus Thames, Mike Rivera, and, unexpectedly, P.J. Pilittere as the only non-roster players still in camp. Thames has all but officially made the team. Rivera is here as Cervelli insurance, and Pilittere, I imagine, is Rivera insurance. It also leaves just eight relievers for the seven man bullpen. If Aceves or Marte hits the DL, Boone Logan will make the team, though I imagine that’s the only circumstance under which he will.

The Yankees beat the Blue Jays 5-2 thanks to the healthy return of Mark Teixeira, who took a pitch off his left elbow Monday night, but they have some concerns about the health of their catchers, particularly their backups.

Big Hits: Doubles by Curtis Granderson (2-for-3), Mark Teixeira (2-for-4, and again quietly raking in camp to a .341/.408/.591 tune leading the remaining campers in slugging), and Ramiro Peña (1-for-3). Robinson Cano had two singles and a sac fly in three trips. Nick Swisher singled twice in three at-bats.

Who Pitched Well: All of the relievers. Royce Ring struck out the only man he faced, lefty slugger Adam Lind, swinging. Minor league call-up Lance Pendleton struck out two in a perfect ninth. Chan Ho Park struck out one in a perfect sixth and now has eight strikeouts against no hits, no walks and just four hits in seven spring innings. Joba Chamberlain worked around a walk, striking out two in a hitless eighth. David Robertson worked around a single for a scoreless seventh, though he struck out no one and uncorked a wild pitch.

Who Didn’t: A.J. Burnett scattered two runs, but allowed seven baserunners (two walks, two singles, two doubles, and a Jose Bautista solo homer) in just 4 2/3 innings while striking out only two. Then again, Joe Girardi said Burnett looked better than he had all spring. Given his 5.12 spring ERA, that’s entirely possible. He did have his curve working and mixed in his changeup, neither of which were the case in his previous start.

Ouchies: Obviously Mark Teixeira (eblow) is fine. Francisco Cervelli and Mike Rivera both have sore hamstrings. Cervelli had an MRI and was diagnosed with a Grade 1 strain that will keep him out of action for the remainder of camp. The Yankees still hope Cervelli can open the season with the team, but if he can’t, the Yankees may have to reach further down the depth chart for a catcher, though Rivera is expected to test out his leg in Friday’s game. Adding to the backstop angst, Jorge Posada was scratched from Thursday’s game due to a sore neck (thus Pilittere batting clean-up). It seems Posada just slept in a bad position. The Yankees expect him to play on Friday. Alfredo Aceves (back) is scheduled to pitch on Friday and is also hoping to avoid extended spring training or a DL stay.

Other: Joe Girardi made it official, Curtis Granderson will be the starting center fielder, playing even against lefties, at least until/unless he continues to struggle against them. Brett Gardner will be the starting left fielder but, like last year, will have to produce to keep his job. I think the Yankees’ best arrangement would have been to put Gardner in center because I believe he is the superior fielder, but I understand Girardi’s thinking that he doesn’t want Granderson to have to change positions if Gardner loses his job. I can’t decide if I agree with it, but I understand it. In a way it seems as if he’s expecting Gardner to fail, but by that same token, why not expect the best from your big new acquisition (that he can be a superlative defender in center and hit lefties). Let Granderson show he can’t cut it before you limit his value by moving him to left and platooning him. I just hope Girardi’s willing to make those moves should it become clear that they’re necessary. I’m sure I’ll be revisiting this in a few months no matter which way things fall.

Solo homers by Alex Rodriguez and Juan Miranda weren’t enough for the Yankees to beat the Twins as they fell 4-2. After the game, the Yankees announced their plans for how Phil Hughes will open the season. More below.

Big Hits: A solo homer and a double by Juan Miranda, who batted ninth and got a hit in all three of his at-bats accounting for half of the team’s safeties in the game. Among the other three was a solo homer by Alex Rodriguez (1-for-3). Those two solo homers were the total of the Yankees’ scoring in this game.

Who Pitched Well: Chan Ho Park struck out two in a perfect eighth inning. Joba Chamberlain worked a perfect seventh, though he struck out no one. Boone Logan struck out lefty Jason Kubel, the only man he faced. Royce Ring worked around a walk for a scoreless ninth.

Who Didn’t: Phil Hughes struck out five against one walk in 4 2/3 innings, but he also briefly lost the feel for his curve ball and gave up three runs on six hits including a double and a triple. David Robertson gave up two hits in his inning of work, including a solo homer by Brock Peterson.

Nice Plays: Minor league camper Edwar Gonzalez threw out at Peterson third from right field.

Oopsies: A-baller Jose Pirela made a throwing error.

Ouchies: Francisco Cervelli felt some tightness in his left hamstring and had an MRI, but the Yankees don’t think it’s anything serious and are only worried about his running, not his hitting or catching. Mark Teixeira swung a bat on Wednesday and is expected to play in Thursday’s game wearing protection on his bruised elbow. Alfredo Aceves threw off a mound on Wednesday and is expected to pitch in Friday’s game.

Other: The Yankees have decided that Phil Hughes will be on the Opening Day roster, but will stay behind to make two starts in extended spring training before making his regular season debut on April 15 (the Yankees don’t actually need a fifth starter until April 17). The Yankees play a three-game series in Tampa during Hughes’ time in extended spring training, and he will be available as an emergency reliever or spot-starter (in the event of a rain-out) during that series. He will then travel north with the team for the home opening series against the Angels, which will conclude with his first start, so he’ll really only be away from the team only for the season-opening series in Boston. That means there won’t be an extra bullpen slot available on the Opening Day roster unless Aceves’s back forces him to open the season on the disabled list. More importantly, Hughes’ two extended spring training starts won’t count toward his regular season innings limit because they’ll be low-stress innings in a controlled environment, though in reality he’ll only be skipping one regular season start, so he’ll only be saving about six innings off that total, believed to be around 170 innings.

One-upping Chuck Knoblauch, Denard Span fouled a ball into the stands in the first inning and hit his own mother, who was wearing his jersey, in the chest. He immediately ran into the stands to check on her. Fortunately, she was fine.

The Yankees split their final split-squad action of the spring, losing CC Sabathia’s road start against the Braves and winning Sergio Mitre’s home start against the Blue Jays. Also, two more non-roster outfielders were cut, leaving Marcus Thames as the last man standing for the final bench spot.

Big Hits: Home runs by Jorge Posada (2-for-3, BB), who hit a two-run shot off former battery-mate Scott Proctor with two out in the seventh, and Nick Swisher (1-for-4 with a solo shot). Doubles by Robinson Cano (2-for-4) and Juan Miranda (1-for-4).

Who Pitched Well: No one.

Who Didn’t: CC Sabathia gave up five runs on a walk, a wild pitch, and eight hits including a two-run homer by Clint Sammons in the Braves’ three-run fourth inning and four doubles (two by Troy Glaus, one of which hit the top of the outfield wall and was initially ruled a home run, and one each by Chipper Jones and old buddy Melky Cabrera). Zach Segovia, who has been clinging to major league camp like Bernie Williams to the possibility of a comeback, gave up three runs in the eighth allowing three hits and a walk while striking out just one in two total innings of work. Switch-pitcher Pat Venditte, brought on this road trip at Joe Girardi’s request, gave up a run in the sixth on two singles and a walk in his first taste of the competition above High-A, where he was dominant last year.

For those fascinated by Venditte, here’s how his outing went:

Pitching righty: retired Yunel Escobar for the last out of the fifth, then gave up a single to Matt Diaz to start the sixth. Switch to lefty: Nate McLouth bunted Dias to second. Switch to righty: Walked Clint Sammons. Switch to lefty: gave up a single to Erik Hinske to load the bases and a sac fly to Matt Young that scored Diaz. With switch-hitter Brooks Conrad coming up, had to declare which hand he’d throw with (right) before Conrad got in the opposite box. Conrad grounded out to end the sixth.

Who Pitched Well: Sergio Mitre retired the first nine men he faced before giving up a groundball single to the left of second base, a home run to Aaron Hill, and a double to Adam Lind. Those three hits were the only baserunners Mitre allowed as he walked no one against five strikeouts in six innings. Mariano Rivera struck out one in a perfect eighth. Boone Logan worked around a walk for a scoreless ninth.

Who Didn’t: Relatively speaking, Damaso Marte, who gave up an unearned run in the seventh on an error, a single, a walk, and a sac fly. Also, the first out he recorded traveled about 405 feet to straight-away center, but was tracked down by Greg Golson.

Nice Plays: Golson.

Oopsies: Alex Rodriguez cut Derek Jeter off on a Vernon Wells bounder then dropped the ball when transferring it to his throwing hand to allow Wells to reach with what would ultimately become the Jays’ third run.

Ouchies: Mark Teixeira‘s elbow was sore on Tuesday, but he had no swelling. Alfredo Aceves (back) could play catch on Wednesday. Blue Jays catcher Kyle Phillips hit Ramiro Peña in the helmet with his return throw to the pitcher in the eighth. Peña was more surprised and amused than hurt.

Cuts: Marcus Thames has hit .152 this spring. Jon Weber has hit .483, but it was Weber who got send to minor league camp on Tuesday. The reasons are plentiful. Chief among them, the Yankees want a right-handed outfield bat on their bench and Weber hits lefty. Also the 33-year-old Thames has a .491 career slugging percentage in 1,709 career plate appearances, while the 32-year-old Weber has a .473 career slugging percentage in the minors and has never appeared in a major league game. Weber also failed to walk or homer this spring, while Thames has two of each, though it’s easy and not inappropriate to argue that Weber was too busy getting hits to worry about taking ball four and his four extra-base hits (all doubles) were one more than Thames’ total of three.

Weber has earned a starting job in Scranton and put himself on the short list for outfield call-ups, though he remains hindered by being a non-roster player. That means the Yankees could find themselves with a 32-year-old rookie on the bench at some point this season. It would be a great story if it happened, but one the local media will beat to death and a bad sign for the team.

The actual right-handed batter competing with Thames, David Winfree, was also farmed out on Tuesday. He hit .269 with one walk and one homer (his only extra-base hit) in camp. Winfree, Greg Golson, and Weber will be the starting outfiend in Scranton. Golson is the only one of the three on the 40-man roster.

With the wind blowing out, the Orioles and Yankees combined for 18 runs on 22 hits including 13 for extra bases and six home runs (four by the Yankees). When the dust cleared, the Yankees had won 11-7.

Big Hits: Home runs by Robinson Cano (1-for-3, a three-run shot), David Winfree (1-for-3, another three-run shot) Marcus Thames (1-for-4, a solo shot), and P.J. Pilittere (1-for-1, another solo shot). A double by Randy Winn (1-for-3, BB). Nick Johnson walked three times in five at-bats and scored twice.

Who Pitched Well: Chan Ho Park worked around a single, striking out two in a scoreless inning. Joba Chamberlain gave up a single and struck a man out over the course of three batters, finishing the sixth for Javier Vazquez.

Who Didn’t: Royce Ring issued a walk and gave up a two-run homer to Luke Scott, then gave up a double before finally finishing the ninth inning. Javier Vazquez, who said the wind made it difficult for him to throw his breaking pitches, gave up four runs on three walks and seven hits, including five doubles and a home run while striking out only three in 5 1/3 innings. David Robertson gave up a run on a walk and two hits in the eighth.

Oopsies: Ramiro Peña made a fielding error. Francisco Cervelli had a passed ball.

Ouchies: Mark Teixeira was hit directly on the right elbow by a Jeremy Guthrie pitch and immediately left the game. It looked (and sounded) bad, but the Orioles’ team orthopedist didn’t feel the need for an x-ray, diagnosing him with just a bruise. He’s day-to-day. Alfredo Aceves has a tight lower back. His scheduled appearance on Tuesday will be skipped, but the Yankees expect him to be ready for Opening Day. And for those who are still tracking him (stop), 27-year-old fleeting pitching prospect Alan Horne is going to have surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff. Horne’s only good season as a pro was 2007 and that came at pitching-friendly Trenton. He hasn’t been healthy since.

Other: For you velocity hunters, Joba’s fastball topped out around 93 mph. Also, switch-pitcher Pat Venditte is on the travel roster for tomorrow’s day game per Joe Girardi’s request/curiosity. Unfortunately, that’s not the game that is being televised.

Andy Pettitte was supposed to start Sunday’s game against the Tigers in Lakeland, but because of the threat of rain, Joe Girardi started his bullpen instead so as not to jerk Pettitte around in the event of a delay. Slated to throw six innings, Pettitte wound up entering the game in the bottom of the fourth and pitching a perfect inning, but the game was rained out soon after with the Yankees leading Detroit 8-0. Pettitte, who has only appeared in one other spring training game this month due primarily to two previous rain-outs, instead threw five simulated innings indoors to get up to 100 pitches total. Here’s the skinny on the three-plus innings that were played:

Big Hits: A two-run double by Robinson Cano in the Yankees’ six-run first inning.

Who Pitched Well: Everyone, but I’ll single out Boone Logan, who threw a perfect frame to continue his push for the final bullpen spot.

Oopsies: In the top of the fourth, third-base umpire Marty Foster misjudged another Robinson Cano double, this one to the warning track in left-center, calling it an out because, as he admitted to Joe Girardi, he simply didn’t see it fall past Austin Jackson’s outstretched glove. The umpires ultimately gave Cano a single, but the game was called soon after anyway.

Big Hits: A solo home run by Marcus Thames off lefty Nate Robertson leading off the fourth inning. In his other three trips, Thames walked once, also against Robertson, and struck out twice. Doubles by Jorge Posada and Curtis Granderson (both 2-for-4), also off the lefty Robertson. Granderson’s was an RBI double in the first and an encouraging sign for the left-handed-hitting outfielder. It’s worth noting that every Yankee outfielder who could find himself in a platoon was in the otherwise-thin lineup against the lefty Robertson. In addition to Thames and Granderson, Randy Winn and Brett Gardner combined to go 0-for-7 with a walk taken by Gardner. Posada was on the trip to catch Burnett. Lefty-hitting Nick Johnson was the only other Yankee starter on the trip.

Who Pitched Well: A.J. Burnett walked more men than he struck out (three to two), but allowed just one run (scored by Johnny Damon after his third-inning double) on three hits and those three walks. Burnett didn’t throw any changups and said after the game that his curve wasn’t working. Kudos to Burnett and Posada for their success despite those handicaps. Chan Ho Park pitched around a double for a scoreless eighth. Joba Chamberlain, in his thrilling return to short relief work, worked around a pair of singles for a scoreless ninth. Throwing only fastballs and sliders, he struck out one and topped out at 94 mph on the gun. David Robertson faced two men and walked the first, but he only needed on out and he got it before that runner could advance.

Nice Plays: I didn’t see the game, but reportedly Randy Winn made a few nice ones in right, including one sliding catch after which he popped up and fired to Posada at first base to double off aptly named pinch-runner Michael Rockett.

Oopsies: None. Have you noticed that as we get closer to Opening Day, the players get closer to regular season form, and the minor leaguers get farmed out, there are fewer and fewer errors? It’s as if spring training actually serves a purpose and major leaguers deserve to be where they are.

Other: Spring training stats are largely meaningless, but for what little they’re worth, here are the hitting lines on a couple of 2010 Tigers who played in this game:

Also, Ian Kennedy has made the Diamondback’s rotation, but with Jayson Heyward officially the Braves’ Opening Day right fielder, Melky Cabrera has been bumped out of Atlanta’s lineup, thus beginning his career as a journeyman fourth outfielder.

Also, note on the Upcoming Schedule on the sidebar that CC Sabathia will pitch the road day game against the Braves while Sergio Mitre will start the night home game against the Blue Jays (I originally had their assignments the other way). I assume this is to prevent the Jays from getting an extra look at Sabathia with the season almost here, but it’s just as likely to let CC have his evening off. I can’t imagine the Yankees are that worried about Toronto. The unfortunate side-effect is that Mitre will now be pitching the televised game. Unfortunate for most, that is, I’m curious to watch him pitch given how well he’s been doing this spring and the fact that he’s still in competition for the Opening Day roster.

Facing the Phillies’ starters, Phil Hughesstruck out five in three innings while slotting into the fifth spot in the rotation on short rest. Jamie Moyer was better as he, Chad Durbin, and Ryan Madson dominated the Yankees and the Phillies won 3-0.

Big Hits: None. The Yankees had four singles and no walks. No Yankee reached base more than once. I suppose the big hit was Marcus Thames‘ single as it got his average back in the triple digits (he went 1-for-3 and is now hitting .114) and came against a lefty (Jamie Moyer).

Who Pitched Well: Mariano Rivera, Damaso Marte, and Amaury Sanit each threw a perfect inning recording a strikeout each. Working on short rest so as to get in rotation as the fifth starter, Phil Hughes worked three scoreless innings while allowing just two singles and striking out five including Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and Ryan Howard in the first. He also walked four and uncorked a pair of wild pitches, though reports were that he was just missing the zone rather than being as wild as those numbers might suggest, which is something I’ve seen Hughes do in the past. He refuses to throw to the heart of the plate even when he’s not getting the corners.

Who Didn’t: Royce Ring struck out two in the eighth, but also allowed two runs on two doubles. Both runs were unearned, however. Zach Segovia wasn’t charged with a run, but he allowed an inherited runner from Hughes (who faced one man in the fourth and gave up a single) to score and allowed four baserunners (two singles, a double, and a walk) in two innings of work.

Nice Plays: Nick Swisher threw out Placido Polanco at home with the help of a nice tag by Francisco Cervelli.

Oopsies: Francisco Cervelli made a throwing error. Jon Weber, playing first base, booted a ball. Eduardo Nuñez was picked off first base while pinch-running for Robinson Cano following one of the Yankees four singles.

Cuts: Thirty-year-old Cubano Amaury Sanit was finally farmed out. He impressed in camp, striking out six in 5 1/3 innings without issuing a walk or allowing a run. He is likely headed for the Triple-A bullpen.

Other: Francisco Cervelli will be away from the team for the next two days to attend to an unspecified personal matter.

Big Hits: A double by Randy Winn who had three of the Yankees’ five hits, picking up a safety in each of his three at-bats. Winn is now hitting .259 on the spring (7-for-27 with a walk, a double, and seven Ks).

Marcus Thames, meanwhile, is hitting .094 (3-for-32) with just one walk and no extra-base hits after going 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts. Joe Girardi keeps talking about Thames’ track record, and it still seems as though Thames will make the team. That should tell you just how much spring performances really matter. Thames came into camp with a huge lead on his lone remaining challenger, David Winfree, a 24-year-old with 116 games of experience above Triple-A and none in majors. Winfree, who went 0-for-1 in this game and is hitting .263 (5-f0r-19, also with one walk and no extra-base hits) on the spring, likely hasn’t done enough to close the gap. Still, it’s interesting to see the Yankees giving him some work at an infield corner as he has played 250 games at the hot corner as a pro and thus offers some versatility that Thames, who has a strong arm but a glove and feet made of lead, doesn’t.

Who Pitched Well: Chan Ho Park worked around a pair of singles while striking out two and walking none for a pair of scoreless frames. David Robertson stranded a single and a walk in a scoreless ninth.

Who Didn’t: Alfredo Aceves‘s first poor outing of the spring was his last, and this one was worse. He gave up six runs (five earned) on a pair of walks and six hits, including a two-run Adam Jones homer, while striking out no one. He pitched to four batters in the third, but failed to get an out before getting the hook.

Who Did Neither: Competing for the final spot in the bullpen, Boone Logan came in with two on and none out and got a groundball to second only to have Robinson Cano throw it away and let both runs score and the batter reach second. That batter-runner then scored on a pair of productive outs before Logan got out of the inning. You can’t really blame Logan for the first two runs, but the third kept him out of the “Pitched Well” category. Meanwhile, his competition, Sergio Mitre, gave up a run on a walk and a pair of singles in his two innings of work. Neither pitcher struck out a batter. Logan gets the edge there for not allowing a hit or a walk, but it wasn’t a convincing victory.

Oopsies: Robinson Cano made a big throwing error in the third that let two runs score and put a third in scoring position that later came around on a pair of productive outs. It was his first error of the spring.

Other: CC Sabathia got lit up by the Phillies’ Triple-A campers, allowing seven runs on a walk, a hit batsman, and seven hits, including a pair of homers while using up 88 pitches in just 3 2/3 innings. Remember, CC was 1-3 with a 4.85 ERA after his first six starts last year and 18-5 with a 3.06 the rest of the way. In 2008, he was 0-3 with a 13.50 ERA after four starts and 17-7 with a 1.88 the rest of the way. The big man takes a while to get rolling. Don’t sweat his performance until May. In other rotation news, Chad Gaudin was released. I already dealt with that likelihood in my Mitre post on Tuesday.

The official announcement of the Yankees’ fifth starter will be the big news today, but Wednesday’s headline was the performance of fourth-starter Javier Vazquez, who carved up an admittedly weak Nationals lineup as the Yankees cruised to a 3-1 win. Well, that and the fact that Ramiro Peña will once again be the Opening Day utility infielder.

Who Pitched Well: Javier Vazquez needed just 77 pitches to get through six innings plus one batter. He didn’t issue a walk and allowed just one run on four singles while striking out six. Mark Melancon pitched a perfect ninth striking out two. Mariano Rivera worked around a double for a scoreless eighth, striking out two as well.

Who Didn’t: Vazquez gave up a single to the only man he faced in the seventh. Damaso Marte then allowed that inherited runner to score on a double by former Yankee Alberto Gonzalez, though Gonzalez was the only baserunner Marte allowed in his one inning of work.

Oopsies: Brett Gardner was caught stealing second by the former Yankee battery of Brian Bruney and Wil Nieves.

Cuts: The first real significant batch:

Kevin Russo: Russo hit .333 in camp, but Russo has always hit. The issue is that he’s not really a viable shortstop, and twith Alex Rodriguez now six years and one hip surgery removed from the position, the Yankees likely reasoned that they couldn’t go into the season with Russo as Derek Jeter’s sole backup at the position. Russo moved his name toward the top of the list of replacement bench players, but with the Yankees hoping to get 150 games or more out of each of their infielders, they properly opted to go with Ramiro Peña’s glove and versatility over Russo’s batting-average-dependent offense. It will be interesting to see if the Yankees stick him back at second base in Scranton or give him more exposure at short and third in the hope of increasing his defensive value.

Juan Miranda: Miranda didn’t hit much in camp and, as Scranton’s first baseman, will have to fend off the advances of Jorge Vazquez while battling with Jesus Montero to be the first name called when Nick Johnson goes down with an injury. Given that Miranda’s also in the last year of his contract, success in Scranton could just as easily get him traded as promoted.

Greg Golson: Golson hit .300/.364/.550 in camp and struck out just four times in 20 at-bats, which offers some hope that the tweaks made to his swing and approach by Kevin Long are already yielding results. If Golson can control the strike zone, he has the tools (speed, power, glove) and athleticism to be an upgrade on Brett Gardner, but he’ll have to prove it over a larger sample as Scranton’s center fielder.

Mark Melancon: Melancon was fantastic in camp, but there’s just no room in the Yankee bullpen: Mariano Rivera, Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes, Damaso Marte, David Robertson, Chan Ho Park, Alfredo Aceves, Sergio Mitre. That’s seven. I’d like to have seen Melancon make the team over Mitre, but as I explained Tuesday night, I’m kind of okay with Mitre making the team, particularly given how strong the rest of the pen seems to be. Had Melancon pitched better in his extremely brief major league opportunities last year, he might have had the edge. As it is, he’ll likely force his way onto the major league roster in the first half of the season.

Jonathan Albaladejo: Albaladejo made the Opening Day roster each of the last two seasons but got hurt in 2008, failed to distinguish himself in 2010, was lit up in camp this year. If there’s no room for Melancon in the bullpen, Albaladejo has no chance. He should follow Edwar Ramirez out of the organization shortly.

The Yankees and Phillies combined for 16 runs on 24 hits, 15 of the latter for extra bases including Wilson Valdez’s two-run game-winning home run off Phil Hughes, as the Phillies won 9-7 on Monday. Earlier in the day, Hughes’ rival for the fifth-starter job worked five innings in an intrasquad simulated game. Also, the Yankees made a bunch of cuts. More below . . .

Big Hits: A two-run, two-out homer by Mark Teixeira off Cole Hamels. Teixeira went 4-for-4 in the game, adding a double and two singles for eight total bases. A triple by Ramiro Peña (2-for-4). Doubles by Tex, Curtis Granderson (2-for-3, BB), Kevin Russo (1-for-4), Eduardo Nuñez (1-for-3), and Jon Weber (1-for-1 and now hitting .571 on the spring with four doubles but no other extra base hits and no walks).

Who Pitched Well:Royce Ring retired the only man he faced, lefty Raul Ibañez. So there was that.

Who Didn’t: A.J. Burnett started the game by giving up a double to Jimmy Rollins and a two-run homer to Placido Polanco on his way to a five-run first-inning. Though he didn’t allow a run in his next three frames and struck out four, he was responsible for seven hits, three walks, and a wild pitch. Phil Hughes reportedly impressed, walking no one, striking out six, and continuing to work with his changeup, getting one of those Ks with the pitch. Still, he gave up three home runs in his 4 1/3 innings, including a two-run walk-off by Wilson Valdez. Reports were that the wind was blowing out and that Valdez’s homer and the solo shot by Dane Sardinha were both wall-scrapers. Still, I have a hard time putting a pitcher who gave up 16 bases off hits, including a game-winning homer, in the above category. Can we get a ruling on this?

Meanwhile, in the intrasquad simulated game: Facing a lineup that included Randy Winn, Jamie Hoffmann, Mike Rivera, Juan Miranda, Jon Weber, Marcus Thames, Reid Gorecki, and Greg Golson, Joba Chamberlain gave up two runs on six hits and a walk while striking out just one in five innings. Those two runs came in the fourth which opened with a Gorecki double, a Hoffmann walk, and a Miranda double that drove in both runners. Outside of that three-batter sequence, Joba was sharp, getting tons of ground balls and a few infield-pop ups. He got four outs in the bottom of the fifth and just two of the 16 outs he recorded came on fly balls to the outfield, while six of them came on ground-ball double plays. Still, that lone strikeout is discouraging. I can’t say I feel much better about Chamberlain’s outing than I do about Hughes’, though both actually pitched pretty well, or so it seems.

Ouchies: Mike Rivera has a sore hamstring.

Cuts: Between Sunday and Monday, the Yankees farmed out ten players and dumped one other. They are:

Jamie Hoffmann, the Rule 5 pick received via the Nationals in exchange for Brian Bruney was returned to the Dodgers, putting an end to a complete waste of everyone’s time. Hoffmann hit .130/.259/.174 in 23 spring at-bats.

Reegie Corona, who will play second base in Double- or Triple-A depending on where Kevin Russo winds up.

Eduardo Nuñez, who will play shortstop in Double- or Triple-A depending on where Ramiro Peña winds up. Both Nuñez and Corona are on the 40-man roster and were optioned down.

Jorge Vazquez, who could actually wind up playing third base in Scranton, but more likely will split first base and DH with Juan Miranda and Jesus Montero’s days off from catching.

Brandon Laird, who should play third base in Double-A.

Colin Curtis, who impressed in camp with a supposedly rebuilt swing, going 6-for-12 with a double and two homers and two talks against just one strikeout, that after hitting .397/.472/.731 in 78 at-bats in the Arizona Fall League. Still, he should have to prove it in the unfriendly hitting environment of Trenton before anyone really takes the 25-year-old busted prospect seriously.

Reid Gorecki, who will likely be the fourth outfielder in Scranton.

Jesus Montero, who will be the starting catcher in Triple-A and be given serious consideration as a mid-season DH replacement should Nick Johnson’s annual DL stay be a long one.

Austin Romine, who will be the starting catcher in Double-A and could move up to fill Montero’s spot in Triple-A if/when Montero gets the call.

Jason Hirsh, who impressed in camp, striking out five in 3 2/3 innings with a hit batsman as the only blight on his record. He will be in the Triple-A rotation and should be on the short list of pitching replacements for both the rotation and bullpen.

Dustin Moseley, who posted a 9.95 ERA in camp and, in my opinion, doesn’t deserve a spot in the Scranton rotation, though he seems to be in line for one.

Battles: The battle for the backup infield spot is now clearly down to Ramiro Peña and Kevin Russo. Peña is the defense-first choice. Russo is the offense-first choice.

The battle for the fifth outfielder spot is now down to Marcus Thames, David Winfree, and Greg Golson. Jon Weber is still in camp and has hit well, but he’s a left-handed hitter and the Yankees want someone who can spell the lefty-hitting Curtis Granderson and Brett Gardner against lefties (though Gardner doesn’t need a platoon partner). Winfree is hitting .278 with just one walk and no extra-base hits. Thames is hitting .107 with just one walk and no extra-base hits. Both are non-roster players. Golson, whom I didn’t think was a legitimate contender, has hit .300 with two walks and three extra-base hits and is a strong defensive center fielder to boot. Golson could use more development time to reach his potential, but he has only struck out four times in 20 spring at-bats and is already on the 40-man roster.

The only non-roster pitchers still in camp are Royce Ring, who is challenging Boone Logan for a second-lefty job that probably doesn’t exist, Amaury Sanit, the Cuba defector, and Zach Segovia. None of those three has been charged with a run yet this spring, but I don’t expect any of them to make the team.

The Yankees’ road lineup beat up on ex-Phillie Brett Myers, but Alfredo Aceves and Mark Melancon, in their first poor outings of the spring, were unable to make the early 4-0 lead stand up and the Astros won 8-6.

Big Hits: A solo home run by Robinson Cano (1-for-3). Triples by Brett Gardner (2-for-3, the other hit being a bunt single on the first pitch of the game; Gardner is suddenly hitting .281/.361/.406 on the spring) and Reid Gorecki (1-for-2). A pair of doubles by Alex Rodriguez (2-for-3), and two-baggers by Ramiro Peña (1-for-3), Mike Rivera (1-for-3), and Jorge Vazquez (2-for-2). Nick Johnson (0-for-1) walked twice in three trips.

Who Pitched Well: Boone Logan worked around a single (by the only lefty he faced) for a scoreless sixth. His ERA is a tidy 2.57 this spring, but with an option remaining and Sergio Mitre pitching well, he still seems like a long-shot to make the 25-man roster.

Who Didn’t: Save for a solo homer allowed his last time out, Alfredo Aceves had been dominating all spring, but after some loud outs in his first three innings on Saturday, balls started dropping in his last two. He allowed two runs in the fourth, then bequeathing three runners to Mark Melancon with one out in the fifth. Melancon let all three score, putting a five-spot on Aceves’s line to go with five hits (two doubles, three singles), a walk, and a hit batsman. Melancon then allowed a run of his own to score, though he allowed just two hits (one a Hunter Pence double) and walked none. Dustin Moseley let the Astros pile on by giving up a pair of runs in the ninth on a two-run jack by Cory Sullivan, a member of my personal Reggie Cleveland All-Star team (another thing to blame on Corey Patterson).

Oopsies: Kevin Russo made a throwing error, which likely hurts his chances of unseating Ramiro Peña as the utility infielder as it emphasizes the defensive gap between the two. Brett Gardner was picked off first base by catcher Humberto Quintero after his bunt single. Said Girardi of the latter, “I would rather see him find out what he can get now, and be more aggressive now. Then we can tone it back as opposed to being passive.”

Ouchies: Curtis Granderson‘s right hand felt fine a day after it was grazed by a pitch.

The split squad Yankees played a pair of games decided by a 6-2 score, beating the Tigers and home, but losing to the Rays on the road. In the road game, Sergio Mitre enjoyed another strong outing against a loaded Rays lineup, while Chad Gaudin again struggled. More on that and some more cuts below.

Big Hits: A booming solo homer over the George M. Steinbrenner Field scoreboard by Alex Rodriguez (2-for-3). A double by Jon Weber (2-for-2), who is hitting .588 this spring. Greg Golson had two singles in four at-bats. Jamie Hoffmann walked three times in four trips, stealing second after the first.

Who Pitched Well: CC Sabathia struck out eight in 5 1/3 innings. He allowed two runs on three singles, a double, and two walks, but the first run came early in the first inning and the other scored after he left the game. Mariano Rivera needed just ten pitches to throw a perfect seventh and strike out one. Ryan Pope threw a perfect ninth striking out one. Royce Ring pitched around a walk for a scoreless eighth, striking out one.

Who Didn’t: Jonathan Albaladejo inherited two runners from Sabathia and allowed one to score on a double to Carlos Guillen before getting the final two outs of the sixth. That’s a big improvement for Albaladejo, but he’s still the only guy in this category for this game.

Oopsies: Greg Golson‘s throw home on the first Tiger run in the top of the first was very wild and allowed the batter to advance to second, resulting in an error.

Ouchies: Damaso Marte will wait until Sunday to pitch again as he still has some deep bruising where Ryan Howard’s liner hit his lower back.

Nice Plays: The next inning, Golson made a nice running catch charging a Gerald Laird flare to shallow right. Francisco Cervelli pounced on an Austin Jackson bunt and made a strong spinning throw to first which bounced, but was scooped by Mark Teixeira for the out.

Other: Kevin Russo has played shortstop in the last two games. This makes me think the Yankees are seriously considering him for the futility infield spot as he’s hitting .353/.429/.471 on the spring but the one concern about him in that role is his lack of experience at shortstop. Russo lifted a sac fly in his only at-bat in this game.

Big Hits: A solo homer by Juan Miranda (2-for-4) off Jeff Niemann leading off the fourth. A double by Jesus Montero (1-for-1). Montero is hitting .375 on the spring, but has had just eight at-bats in eight games (in which he has a single and two doubles). If the Yankees aren’t going to give him multiple at-bats in games, they should reassign him to minor league camp so he can hit. It makes no sense for a player who has been discussed as a potential mid-season call-up to have had the fewest at-bats of the 29 hitters still in the Yankees’ major league camp. Curtis Granderson singled in both at-bats.

Who Pitched Well: Facing a strong Rays lineup, Sergio Mitre allowed two runs in his five innings, but on just a walk, a single, and an Evan Longoria double. Meanwhile, he struck out seven men in those five frames, keeping his hat in the fifth-starter ring. Amaury Sanit continued his scoreless, walk-less spring by retiring both batters he faced, striking out one.

Who Didn’t: Chad Guadin pitched his way out of the fifth-starter contest and may have pitched his way off the 25-man roster given how well Mitre has done this spring. In 2 1/3 innings, Gaudin gave up four runs (three earned) on a whopping seven singles, three walks, and two wild pitches while striking out just one. His spring ERA is now 8.68. Joe Girardi, who was at this road game to see Mitre and Gaudin pitch, blamed some of Gaudin’s struggles on his defense, which did include some players borrowed from minor league camp, and on bad luck (Carlos Peña, for example, got an infield single on a broken bat hit into the shift), but this wasn’t the first time Gaudin had been lousy this spring.

Oopsies: A-ball middle infielder Jose Pirela booted a ball while playing out of position at third base.

Ouchies: Curtis Granderson‘s hand was grazed by a pitch. He came out of the game, but only as a precaution.

Cuts: Romulo Sanchez was optioned to Triple-A. He’s likely to be in the Scranton rotation, but could be bounced to the bullpen as the Scranton rotation could get pretty crowded with Zach McAllister, Ivan Nova, Wilkin De La Rosa, Jason Hirsh, Kei Igawa, and Dustin Moseley all candidates, which doesn’t even count the possibility of one or more of the big club’s fifth-starter candidates finding themselves in Scranton.

Ryan Pope was reassigned to minor league camp. Pope looked good in camp, striking out four in four innings while allowing just one hit and no runs. He should be given another crack at the Double-A rotation as he struggled there last year.

Also, I missed two earlier cuts on Monday as Ivan Nova was optioned to Triple-A Scranton, where he’ll be guaranteed a spot in the rotation, and Hector Noesi was optioned to High-A Tampa, where he finished his 2009 campaign. Look for Noesi to pitch his way to the Double-A rotation this year and hope that Nova can pitch well enough to have his name bandied about in trade talks at the deadline or beyond.

Big Hits: A booming two-run double just shy of the warning track in center field by Derek Jeter (2-for-3). That double came before he hurt his hand, but the single came after. A three-run homer by Colin Curtis (1-for-3), his second dinger of the spring. Ramiro Peña had two singles in three at-bats.

Who Pitched Well: Chan Ho Park looked sharp in a perfect fifth inning, needing just eight pitches to retire the side, striking out one and making a nice play coming off the mound. David Robertson struck out two (one on a nose-to-toes curve, the other on high heat) in a perfect sixth. Though Jorge Posada sullied it with a run-scoring passed ball, Boone Logan made like a proper LOOGY in the fourth, coming in with two out and the bases loaded to strike out Carl Crawford with a good slider and strand the remaining runners. Dustin Moseley worked a perfect ninth. Mark Melancon gave up a run following a booming leadoff triple by Justin Ruggiano in the eighth, but he didn’t allow any other hits and only one other man hit a ball to the outfield in his two innings of work. In the seventh, he erased a leadoff walk with a strike-em-out/throw-em-out double play with Austin Romine throwing out opposing catcher Dioner Navarro.

Javier Vazquez worked into some deep counts and walked two, shaving an inning of his intended workload by using up 60 pitches in just three frames, but he limited the damage to a solo homer by Carlos Peña (on a fastball up and on the outside half of the plate) and only allowed one other hit (a harmless single) while striking out three.

Who Didn’t: Romulo Sanchez gave up two runs on a walk and three hits, including a B.J. Upton double, before he could get three outs. He was all over the place, which was one reason Jorge Posada whiffed on a low fastball to allow one of those runs to score.

Nice Plays: On a slow roller to second, Robinson Cano circled the ball, came in on the grass, and scooped and shoveled the ball to first with his glove to get the out. Later in the game, the coaching staff had Cano positioned perfectly on Pat Burrell. Robby needed just two steps to knock down a would-be single up the middle that nearly took off David Robertson’s head. Chan Ho Park sprung off the mound to make a clean play and a strong throw on a bouncer well on the grass to the left side by Carlos Peña. Though it didn’t result in an out, Jorge Posada made a near-perfect throw to second on a stealing Carl Crawford in the third. Crawford was safe, but barely.

Oopsies: Playing shortstop, Kevin Russo was unable to come up with a hard grounder to his right in the eighth, allowing a run to score from third on what was ruled an error. On a chopper in front of the plate by Ben Zobrist in the third, Javier Vazquez and Jorge Posada both charged the ball but simultaneously pulled up expecting the other to make the play, thus allowing Zobrist to reach safely as the ball went untouched. In the fourth, Posada failed to block a low fastball from Romulo Sanchez that got through his wickets and allowed B.J. Upton to score from third. Later that inning, Posada had a Boone Logan fastball that was nearly a strike clank off his glove allowing another run to score. All of which would seem to bode well for Jesus Montero. Posada’s been out-hitting his defense for years. I’m guessing Montero can do the same.

Ouchies: A diving Derek Jeter, in failing to come up with a hard single to his left, got his throwing hand caught on the lip of the outfield grass but stayed in the game and got a hit in the bottom of that inning. He was seen wincing during warm-up throws later in the game, but, say it with me: he’s fine and will play tomorrow. A day after getting hit in the lower back with a Ryan Howard line-drive, Damaso Marte is doing well and could pitch in Friday’s home game.

An ugly spring debut from Damaso Marte helped the Phillies beat the Yankees 6-2 in Clearwater, but the story of the game was a strong four-inning appearance from Joba Chamberlain, who, having heard the gun, is finally keeping stride with Phil Hughes in the race for the final spot in the Opening Day rotation.

Big Hits: Francisco Cervelli went 3-for-3 with an RBI double and is hitting .583 on the month. Brett Gardner went 2-for-3 with a triple﻿ courtesy of a missed diving catch by Shane Victorino in center. Gardner also stole his first base of the spring.

Who Pitched Well: In his first actual game action (he previously threw two simulated games, one to avoid travel, the other due to rain), Andy Pettitte struck out four in four innings against just one walk. He did allow a pair of runs on five hits, but threw just 55 pitches. Amaury Sanit retired all three men he faced, striking out two. He hasn’t issued a walk or allowed a run in 3 2/3 innings this spring.

Most importantly, Joba Chamberlain answered the bell with four strong innings (including an unofficial bottom of the ninth with the home-team Phillies in the lead). He did allow a run, but on a well-placed bloop double over Kevin Russo’s head and a single. He also struck out five against just one walk after getting just two Ks against six walks in his previous 3 2/3 innings. Like Hughes on Tuesday, he did it over the game’s final four innings, but he faced a better group of hitters than Hughes did against a split-squad Astros road team. Having needed just 47 pitches to get through those four frames, Joba threw about 15 more in the bullpen. During the game, Chamberlain was not only efficient but was working quickly, showing the aggressive approach that so often seemed missing last year but showed its head in his three strong starts after the All-Star break. That is a very good indicator, as is the fact that his slider had that nasty break to it as seen in the highlight reel found here. Both of those things suggest that this fifth-starter battle could live up to its billing after all.

Who Didn’t: In his first spring appearance, Damaso Marte faced four batters without getting an out. Switch-hitters Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino singled. Righty Jayson Werth hit a three-run home run. Lefty Ryan Howard then singled off Marte, bouncing him from the game.

Ouchies: Howard’s liner hit Damaso Marte in the lower back and left a bruise. Marte was doing his exercises before the game was over and said he was fine after, but the Yankees might push back his next appearance to be on the safe side.

Other: Having finally faced major league batters, Andy Pettitte may have to start a minor league game his next time out so that Chamberlain can get his full pitch load in the major league game.

A.J. Burnett and Mariano Rivera, the latter in his spring debut, put a lot of runners on base against a pathetic split-squad Astros lineup, but only let one score. The preliminary Opening Day lineup plated three early runs, and Phil Hughes wrapped things up with four scoreless innings as the Yankees won 4-1.

Big Hits: A solo homer by Mark Teixeira (1-for-2, HBP). Doubles by Nick Swisher and Robinson Cano (both 1-for-3). Jorge Posada went 2-for-3 and is now hitting .421 on the spring.

Who Pitched Well: Zach Segovia retired all five men he faced, striking out two and picking up the win. Phil Hughes threw four scoreless innings allowing just three singles and a walk needing just 59 pitches, all while continuing to experiment with his changeup. At the same time, he was often working from behind in the count and faced the subs of the road split-squad of a terrible Astros team and still only struck out two (both on curveballs).

Who Didn’t: A.J. Burnett walked four and allowed a double and a single in 2 1/3 innings, using up his 65 pitches well before the Yankees’ goal for him of four innings. Burnett said he was struggling with his fastball command and overthrowing. Mariano Rivera showed some rust in his first inning of work of the spring, walking one, giving up a pair of singles (one hard hit, one that didn’t reach the outfield), and throwing 27 pitches. Still, he stranded all three runners.

Nice Plays: Running catches by Nick Swisher and Colin Curtis in the outfield.

Oopsies: Jorge Posada airmailed a throw over second base, but the runner was advanced on ball four anyway and didn’t take third on the overthrow. Robison Cano failed to get a double-play ball out of his glove in time for Derek Jeter to make the pivot. Phil Hughes dropped a comebacker for an error.

Ouchies: Mark Teixeira was hit in the back with a pitch, but stayed in the game and later homered.

Other: Although the batting order was a trial run at the Opening Day lineup, Joe Girardi was clear that he’s still experimenting with where Curtis Granderson and Brett Gardner will play in the outfield, so don’t read anything into Granderson starting in left on Tuesday, even though I’m going to.

Props to the Star-Ledger‘s Marc Carig for providing some of the details via play-by-play on twitter as the game wasn’t on TV or radio in the New York area.

With the wind blowing out in Bradenton, the Pirates launched five home runs to beat the Yankees’ road squad 10-5. If not for Bucs non-roster reliever Jean Machi stinking it up in the ninth inning, the game wouldn’t even have been that close.

Big Hits: A two-out wind-blown solo homer to straight-away center in the sixth by Nick Johnson (1-for-2, BB) for the first Yankee run of the game. A two-RBI double by Greg Golson in his only at-bat. No Yankee had multiple hits and only Johnson reached base more than once.

Who Pitched Well: CC Sabathia gave up three runs in 4 1/3 innings, but two of those runs scored after he left the game. In his first four innings the only run he allowed came on a wind-blown solo homer by Akinori Iwamura and he only allowed to other hits, both singles, and walked two in his full outing, though he also only struck out two. Mark Melancon worked around a leadoff single in the sixth, striking out two and erasing the single with Francisco Cervelli’s help via a caught-stealing.

Who Didn’t: Jonathan Albaladejo walked one and gave up two doubles and a single over the course of just six batters, allowing two inherited runners to score as well as three of his own. His spring ERA, which doesn’t include inherited runners who have scored, is 45.00. Dustin Moseley gave up three solo homeruns as well as a single in the seventh. Ivan Nova gave up a solo homer to Bobby Crosby (who also homered off Moseley) with two outs in the ninth. He then gave up two singles and a walk, but got the third out before any of them could score.

Nice Plays: Francisco Cervelli threw a strike right to the inside part of second base to nail Lastings Milledge trying to steal in the sixth. Hat-tip to Delwin Young who robbed Marcus Thames of a hit in the seventh by leaping to snag a line drive well over his head.

Oopsies: Nick Swisher wiffed while trying to cut off a Lastings Milledge double in the gap, but Brett Gardner backed up the play and threw behind Milledge as he rounded second, trapping him in a run-down.

Cuts: Right-handed starter Zach McAllister, catcher Jose Gil and righty reliever Grant Duff, all non-roster invitees, were reassigned to minor league camp. Gil is organizational filler in an organization filled with actual catching prospects. He could serve as Austin Romine’s backup in Double-A this year or have a bigger role in High-A Tampa. Duff and his high-90s heat will likely slot into the Trenton bullpen, where he’ll have a lot to prove. McAllister is the organization’s top pitching prospect and is being farmed out this early because starters are going deeper into games and there are only so many innings available in the major league games with five pitchers theoretically competing for the fifth spot in the big league rotation. McAllister should be the ace of the Scranton rotation this year and could be in play as a mid-season replacement should the rotation require it. If not, expect to see him called up in September and competing for the fifth-starter spot himself next year.

Other: Watching the Pirates’ broadcast on MLB Network, it was a bit sad to see how hard Pittsburgh was pushing its season ticket packages. It was also frustrating; I wish the Yankees were that desperate for my business.

Though the weather in New York on Saturday was like the inside of a dishwasher, things cleared up in Florida, allowing the Yankees to finally get back in action with a pair of split-squad games. At home, the Yankees jumped all over the Orioles Jeremy Guthrie and held on for a 5-3 win thanks to four strong innings from Alfredo Aceves. On the road, the Yankees were held down by a pair of Tiger pitchers trying to make comebacks as Dontrelle Willis and Jeremy Bonderman combined to allow just two runs in six innings leading to a 6-2 Detroit win.

Meanwhile, the Yankees made their first cuts of the spring, farming out eight pitchers and a catcher. Details below after the game summaries.

Big Hits: A double over the left-fielder’s head by Nick Johnson (2-for-3, BB). Jorge Posada singled three times in four trips. Robinson Cano and Brandon Laird each singled twice in four trips.

Who Pitched Well: Everyone. With a strong wind blowing straight out, Javier Vazquez and Alfredo Aceves each gave up a home run on a gut-high fastball on the inside half of the plate (to Ty Wigginton and Garrett Atkins, respectively), but otherwise gave up very little. Vazquez issued one walk, which scored on Wigginton’s homer, and three harmless singles while striking out two in three frames. Aceves walked no one in his four innings, allowed two harmless singles, one of which only traveled about 20 feet up the first base line, and Atkins’ homer was a solo shot, though he only struck out one batter. Royce Ring worked around a single for a scoreless eighth. David Robertson worked around a single and struck out the other three batters he faced in the ninth.

Nice Plays: Early in the game, Ramiro Peña ranged to his left to snag a hard grounder, spun and made a strong, accurate off-balance throw for the out. Later, he dove to his right and scrambled to his knees to start a 6-4-3 double play. Brandon Laird also made a nice play ranging to his left in front of Peña and firing a strike to first base. Also, I have to tip my hat to Ty Wigginton, who is playing second base for the O’s in place of Brian Roberts, who is out with a herniated disk in his back. Wigginton ranged to his right, snagged a grounder behind second base and flipped it to Cesar Izturis with his glove while in stride to start a 4-6-3 double play.

Oopsies: Juan Miranda had a bounder about one foot to his right clang off his glove. It ricocheted right to Robinson Cano, but Miranda missed first base with his left foot while taking the throw and ran into the runner. He got an error, though I’m not sure for which part of that play.

Big Hits: A double by Alex Rodriguez (1-for-3). Mark Teixeira singled twice and walked in three trips. Francisco Cervelli, wearing his new helmet singled twice in three trips. Derek Jeter singled twice in four trips.

Who Pitched Well: Boone Logan threw a perfect ninth inning.

Who Didn’t: Chad Gaudin gave up three runs in his three innings on a walk, three singles and a pair of doubles while striking out just one. His spring ERA is now 7.71. Sergio Mitre gave up three runs in four innings on a walk, three singles, a double, and a Johnny Damon solo homer, though he did also strike out three.

Oopsies: Jorge Vazquez booted one at the hot corner. Jamie Hoffmann played a fly ball by Miguel Cabrera into a double in center, but wasn’t charged with an error.

Cuts: Three pitchers on the 40-man roster were optioned out: Andrew Brackman, Christian Garcia, and Wilkin De La Rosa. Brackman was optioned to High-A Tampa, where he’ll slot into the rotation and hope to prove that his terrible 2009 season was the result of rust, bad mechanics, and his continuing rehab from his 2007 Tommy John surgery. Garcia, who is coming off a season largely lost to elbow surgery, was optioned to Double-A Trenton, where he’ll also be in the rotation. De La Rosa was optioned to Triple-A Scranton, though there’s some thought that he might actually open the season in Double-A if the Triple-A rotation fills up. He could become an option as a second lefty for the major league bullpen if he pitches well.

Five other non-roster pitchers were reassigned: Kei Igawa, Kevin Whelan, Jeremy Bleich, Wilkins Arias, and D.J. Mitchell. Igawa is persona non grata and likely headed back to the Scranton rotation. Whelan could be in the pen in Trenton or Scranton, but wherever he lands he’ll have to work on reducing his walk rate. Bleich, the Yankees’ top 2008 draft pick, should start in the Trenton rotation. Arias, a lefty, should be in the Scranton bullpen. Mitchell could start the season in the Double-A rotation after a breakout pro debut last year. Whelan, Bleich, Arias, and Mitchell combined for just three innings pitched in the exhibition games.

Kyle Higashioka was the catcher reassigned. He’ll be making his full-season debut this year and is no longer needed in camp with eight fewer pitchers around.

As expected, more rain washed the Yankees out again Friday afternoon, canceling their game against the Nationals. The Yankee bus turned around before reaching the Nationals’ complex in Viera. Andy Pettitte, who threw a simulated game for his first turn, threw three simulated innings this time as well, getting up to 50 pitches. Joe Girardi says that he’ll be sure to have Pettitte face live batters for his remaining four turns. Austin Romine caught Pettitte. Now they’re saying Derek Jeter had food poisoning yesterday, not the flu. The Upcoming Schedule on the left sidebar is updated with next week’s pitching assignments.

That’s a term you rarely hear in baseball, but Thursday night’s exhibition game between the Braves and Yankees was rained out, and in spring training, that doesn’t result in the game being merely postponed. It’s canceled. A.J. Burnett threw three innings under simulated conditions to stay on schedule, working in his curve for the first time this spring. Jorge Posada caught him. Francisco Cervelli was outfitted with a new S100 batting helmet which he’ll wear at the plate indefinitely to protect against another pitch-induced concussion (though he’ll switch to a less bulky standard helmet when running the bases). Derek Jeter has the flu. More rain possible on Friday. And those are the issues of the day.